Posts Tagged RSS

Ever see this symbol before? This post is not about RSS (Real Simple Syndication) or how it works. It’s about the the computer literate folks I encounter every day who are not utilizing the power of RSS feeds to simplify their lives.

Unless owners of sites block their feeds, any website with dynamic (frequently updated content) has a feed. The feed updates and syndicates changes, i.e., new blog posts, updates, news articles, for anyone to grab.

So when I am discussing a particular blog or site with someone who just surfs to it occasionally, I always ask if they “subscribe”. I am often met with a blank look when I tell them they can automatically receive updates every time their favorite blogger posts, or their favorite news outlet adds a new story. You can subscribe to the feeds for sites you enjoy through a piece of aggregation software like Google Reader, and like magic, receive all the latest updates for everything you like on the web.

In January I wrote a Quick Guide to Mississippi River Conditions. I noticed in the Weather Service’s river stage RSS feed that the Mississippi River at Memphis is right at flood stage, +34 feet on the Memphis guage; 34.3 feet, to be more precise. Looking west from Downtown Memphis, you can understand why they call it flood stage. the Arkansas flood plane is covered all the way to the levees, and the river seems miles wide. This is not the highest level the river can reach. The record flood level was 48.7 feet during the Great Flood of 1937, over 14 feet higher than today’s stage.